Draft and Recruitment (Sports)

News about Draft and Recruitment, including commentary and archival articles published in The New York Times.

Chronology of Coverage

Dec. 8, 2016

Virtually all of baseball's front office executives participated in Rule 5 draft event, which serves as unofficial closing ceremony of annual winter meetings in National Harbor, Md; event gives teams opportunity to pick players from other clubs' farm systems, although there are restrictions to who can be selected. MORE

Oct. 30, 2016

Joe Nocera Sports Business column says documentary film One & Done, which chronicles single year of college Ben Simmons attended at Louisiana State while waiting to qualify for NBA, reveals absurdity of current system; proposes alternatives, such as paying college basketball players or having NBA switch focus of its Development League from winning to training. MORE

Oct. 26, 2016

Marc Tracy On College Football column discusses how decision by some football players to stay in college through their senior year effects their standing in NFL draft; maintains players who stay longer in college risk injury, which can lower their standing in draft, but could also gain experience and maturity. MORE

Jun. 25, 2016

Longtime ice hockey professional Brian Burke reflects on record 12 American players chosen in first round of NHL draft, indication of how far development of young players has come in country. MORE

Jun. 25, 2016

Keeping Score column; former Philadelphia 76ers general manager Sam Hinkie's legacy seems to hover over team as it made picks in NBA draft; mood demonstrates how strong sports executives impact their teams even after they have left. MORE

Jun. 24, 2016

Expansion of NHL and relocation of some franchises to new areas has led to many top draft picks in league hailing from warm-weather places not usually known for ice hockey, like Arizona. MORE

Jun. 23, 2016

Boston Celtics have plenty of intriguing choices with third pick in 2016 NBA draft; top two picks are widely expected to be Ben Simmons and Brandon Ingram. MORE

Jun. 20, 2016

Q&A with Croatian basketball player Dragan Bender, who is projected to be one of top picks at 2016 NBA draft. MORE

Jun. 10, 2016

Philadelphia Phillies select Mickey Moniak with No 1 pick in Major League Baseball draft. MORE

May. 27, 2016

NCAA rule change gives college basketball players more time to decide whether to enter NBA draft. MORE

May. 18, 2016

Philadelphia 76ers win NBA draft lottery, and will take first pick, followed by Los Angeles Lakers. MORE

Apr. 30, 2016

Quality of New York Jets' draft class may end up depending on performance of quarterback Christian Hackenberg. MORE

Apr. 30, 2016

New York Giants opt to shore up lackluster pass defense in 2016 draft, choosing not to select offensive or defensive lineman for first time in many years. MORE

Apr. 30, 2016

NFL Roundup; Michigan State quarterback Connor Cook, who won more games than any other quarterback in school's history, is picked up by Oakland Raiders with second pick in fourth round; six quarterbacks are picked higher than Cook, who stayed at MSU for his senior year; other football news noted. MORE

Apr. 30, 2016

University of Mississippi offensive lineman Laremy Tunsil is taken by Miami Dolphins in 13th pick of NFL draft, rather than projected No 3, after video of him smoking marijuana surfaces on his Twitter account; drop costs Tunsil estimated $13 million. MORE

Apr. 30, 2016

New York Jets select Penn State quarterback Christian Hackenberg in second round of 2016 NFL draft. MORE

Apr. 30, 2016

New York Giants select Oklahoma receiver Sterling Shepard in second round of 2016 NFL draft. MORE

Apr. 30, 2016

Apr. 28, 2016

Ken Belson On Pro Football column notes that 96 underclassmen, in what is second-highest total in draft history, have entered 2016 NFL draft before exhausting their college eligibility. MORE

Apr. 24, 2016

John Branch On Pro Football notes that college star quarterback Johnny Manziel, who was chosen 22nd in 2014 National Football League draft pick, is now out of league, lacking team, agent or endorsement; observes that Manziel, with his addiction problems, is seen as NFL draft bust who personifies leagues' and fans' penchant for dehumanizing game. MORE

Mar. 29, 2016

Hiring of Amanda Hopkins as full-time scout for Seattle Mariners draws attention to fact that while women have served as part-time scouts in sport for decades, they rarely have received any recognition. MORE

Feb. 4, 2016

College football's national signing day ends with Michigan claiming commitment of defensive tackle Rashan Gary, country’s top-ranked recruit, and several prized high school players choosing to play for Texas. MORE

Feb. 3, 2016

College football programs look to national signing day to replenish their ranks with country's top high school players; teams in ideal position include Ohio State, whose 2015 national championship should lure elite recruits, offsetting loss of handful of its best players to NFL draft. MORE

Dec. 8, 2015

College coaches urge NCAA to crack down on recruitment of high school and sometimes even middle school students, practice that is largely hidden but increasingly common, especially in women's sports; say they are pressured to recruit young athletes and until practice is explicitly prohibited it is in their best interests to do so, despite potential harm to both players and teams. MORE

Nov. 22, 2015

Virtual reality is popular training tool among college football programs, and handful of teams are now using technology for recruiting purposes; working with software companies, schools are designing virtual reality environments that mirror a campus visit experience. MORE

Oct. 21, 2015

Many college basketball programs have started holding open practices during preseason specifically for NBA scouts and team officials. MORE

Jun. 26, 2015

First and second NHL draft picks are obvious choices but third, to be chosen by Arizona Coyotes, is subject of much speculation; many predict that it will be either defenseman Noah Hanifin, center Dylan Strome or center Mitch Marner. MORE

Jun. 26, 2015

Fran Fraschilla, who has become foremost authority on international scouting for NBA, commends New York Knicks on choice of center Kristaps Porzingis in first round of draft. MORE

Jun. 25, 2015

The Upshot; NBA teams can get more for their money by taking later draft pick since late first-round players have lower salaries and, outside top-10 picks, difference in player production is nominal. MORE

Jun. 9, 2015

Tyler Kepner On Baseball column observes that MLB draft has increased its focus on high school prospects like Brendan Rodgers, shortstop who was chosen third overall; notes that Rodgers' role model is Derek Jeter, who was first high schooler drafted in 1992. MORE

Jun. 9, 2015

Shortstops are chosen as first three picks in the MLB draft for the first time in history, as teams focus on infield rather than pitching staff; No 1 pick is Dansby Swanson, Vanderbilt shortstop highly regarded for his hitting, who goes to Arizona Diamondbacks. MORE

May. 9, 2015

Colleges are increasingly offering loss-of-value insurance as incentive for players to stay for senior year rather than enter NFL draft; insurance is meant to compensate student athletes for lesser contracts they may receive as result of injuries sustained in final year of school, but no player has been known to collect on it. MORE

May. 1, 2015

The Upshot; NFL is unlike any other industry in way it hires new recruits out of college, but for good reason; system gives players no choice in who they work for, but is designed that way to maintain competitiveness and some parity between teams. MORE

Apr. 12, 2015

William C Rhoden Sports of The Times column notes that Scotty Thurman, former Arkansas guard who left college early to make himself available for NBA draft but was never drafted, is advocating changes to give athletes greater flexibility. MORE

Apr. 10, 2015

Seven University of Kentucky basketball players, three of them freshmen, have decided to leave college early for NBA draft; small forward Alex Poythress, junior who was sidelined with injury, has not decided whether to return. MORE

Mar. 29, 2015

Keeping Score column; pitcher Brady Aiken, No 1 pick in 2014 baseball draft, has announced he has had Tommy John surgery; decision to walk away from Houston Astros, who cut his signing bonus significantly after seeing results of magnetic resonance imaging of his elbow, may yet pay off for 17-year-old lefthander and for baseball, with MLB now considering possibility of draft combine to deal with similar situations. MORE

Mar. 23, 2015

College basketball coaches have widely differing opinions on NBA rule that prohibits high school players from signing with professional team but allows them to quit college programs after only one year to enter draft. MORE

Feb. 15, 2015

Increasing number of college-bound athletes are refusing to sign national letter of intent, document that makes decision binding according to NCAA rules; issue is part of national debate about recruiting that could give young athletes even more leverage; refusal to sign NLI is coming from experience of many young players who were personally recruited by college coaches who then took other jobs before school year even started. MORE

Oct. 23, 2014

National Basketball Association's board of governors vote down measure to overhaul the way the draft lottery is conducted; in current lottery system, worst team in league has 25 percent chance of securing top pick in draft; revised lottery would have worsened those odds, with goal of not overly rewarding teams for losing. MORE

Aug. 3, 2014

Reeves Wiedeman article explores how youth basketball in America has been taken over by companies like Nike; profiles Terrance Williams, head coach of Team Scan Cardinals, one of best youth-basketball programs in the country; describes difficulty Williams has in reconciling his idealistic goals with fact that sport has become thriving business concerned with college and professional basketball recruitment prospects. MORE

May. 12, 2014

NFL will not decide until late summer where 2015 draft will take place, but Commissioner Roger Goodell says league is considering several changes, including expanding the event to four days and moving part or all of it to another location; Radio City Music Hall has hosted nine consecutive drafts. MORE

May. 9, 2014

Personalizing jerseys for top NFL draft picks in brief moments between when the selection is announced and the player takes the stage on Draft Day is a mix of preparation, practice and sleight of hand, helped by the wonders of television. MORE

May. 8, 2014

NFL draft, the league's most popular off-the-field event, has become a three-day spectacle that commands months of intense interest; is a marketing machine that feeds the seemingly insatiable desire for information about the nation's most popular sport and the college players who learn their professional fates on live television. MORE

May. 8, 2014

International recruiting has become a theme among college golf teams; Long Island University Brooklyn women’s golf team, which will compete at the NCAA regional tournament, has a roster of players from New Zealand, Spain, Italy, England, Mexico and the United States. MORE

May. 4, 2014

Box Seats column; Mel Kiper Jr, ESPN's lead NFL draft expert, is no longer producing his annual draft report--a 150-page-or-so guide that fed NFL draft obsession since 1979; for the 2014 NFL draft, and in the future, subscribers are on their own. MORE

Apr. 26, 2014

Juliet Macur Sports Of The Times column argues that it may be time to do away with NBA's one-year rule, which effectively requires players to spend at least a year in college before entering the draft. MORE

Jan. 27, 2014

Story of Haley Berg, high-school freshman who has already accepted soccer scholarship to the University of Texas, illustrates intensifying competition for top players that has led recruiters to focus on ever-younger girls; many coaches and parents worry about the physical and psychological toll that trend, among other sports as well, may take on youngsters. MORE

Jun. 8, 2013

College coaches are using transfer rule to prevent athletes who wish to change schools from getting many, if not all, of their preferred options; universities have long sought to block student-athletes from transferring to a rival program, but the impulse to limit the student-athlete’s options has been heightened to the point that coaches are now blacklisting dozens of universities. MORE

The final phase of the winter meetings gives team officials whose bags may already be packed a chance to raid other clubs’ minor league systems for potential Roberto Clementes, George Bells or R.A. Dickeys.